Fastener for furniture



May 18, 1965 F. J. VALTRI 3,184,257

FASTENER FOR FURNITURE Filed Jan. 16', 1963 FIG: 1

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33 QJ' 6Z1 United States Patent 3,184,257 FASTENER FOR FURNITURE Frank J. Valtri, 542 13th Ave., Prospect Park, Pa. Filed Jan. 16, 1963, Ser. No. 251,835 1 Claim. (Cl. 287-20) This invention relates to a fastener suited for use in assembling furniture, particularly tubular furniture. The new fastener is especially suited for use in the assembly of furniture which has cushioned backs or seats into which cylindrical posts or legs are embedded. One example of such furniture is a chair having a hidden-post back. Another example is a cushioned foot-stool or Ottoman.

While the fastener of the present invention is especially suited for use in the assembly of furniture, it also has other uses. In general, the fastener may be used whereever it is necessary to secure a cylindrical post to a surface which is normal to the axis of the post and into which the post is embedded.

My invention will be clearly understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a chair having a hidden-post chair back;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of that portion of FIG. 1 enclosed by the dot-and-dash circle identified by the numeral 2;

FIG. 3 is a view looking at the undersurface of the chair back, along the line IIIIII of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view looking in horizontally at the level where the post enters the chair back, along the line IV-IV of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the fastener itself, less the fastening screw;

FIG. 6 illustrates the fastener loosely encircling the post before it is secured by the screw to the undersurface of the chair back; and

FIG. 7 illustrates the fastener tightly encircling the post after it has been secured by the tapered screw to the undersurface of the chair back.

In describing the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawing, specific terminology has been resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, it is not the intention to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.

Referring now to the drawing, a chair 10 is shown having a cushioned rest or back 12 into which the cylindrical posts 14 and 16 are embedded. Posts 14, 16 are illustrated as being tubular since the new fastener will be primarily used with tubular metal furniture. However, so far as the invention is concerned, posts 14, 16 could be of solid wood.

To secure the chair back 12 to the posts 14, 16, the new wire fasteners of the present invention are employed in a manner to be described.

The new fasteners comprise a single length of wire 20 and a tapered screw 22. The wire 20 may be of any suitable material, preferably, quarter-hard basic (steel) wire. The wire may have a diameter, for example, of .080 inch, or .093 inch.

As seen in the drawing, the wire 20 is fashioned into a major loop 21 with the two ends of the wire being bent into opposing hook portions 23 and 24, as shown clearly 3,184,257 Patented May 18, 1965 "ice in FIG. 5. To accommodate different sizes of tubular metal used in tubular furniture, the new wire fastener will be made in a number of sizes. For example, fasteners may be provided having major loops 21 of sizes suitable for fastening tubular posts having diameters of /2, /4", A", A3", 1", 1%, and others.

Before installing the chair back 12 on the posts 14, 16, the major loop 21 of one of the wire fasteners is slipped over the exposed upper end of each of the posts. Since the manner of installation of the wire fastener on each of the posts is the same, it will be necessary to describe the installation of but one.

After the wire fastener is slipped over each of the posts 14, 16, the back 12 is installed, using the post holes provided in the undersurface and lower portion of the chair back for receiving the posts. The wire fastener is then pushed up tight against the undersurface 17 of the chair back.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, before the tapered screw 22 is inserted, the diameter of the major loop 21 of the wire fastener is slightly larger than that of the post 14 or 16. The tapered screw 22, which may be a form of wood screw of suitable size, is then inserted into the opening 25 formed by the opposing hooked portions 23, 24, and the screw is screwed into the undersurface 17. As the diameter of the tapered screw at the points which are in contact with the hooked portions 23, 24 increases, the hooked portions are forced farther apart, enlarging the opening 25 and reducing the size of the major loop 21. This causes the wire 20 to embrace tightly the post 14 or 16, as illustrated in FIG. 7. As the screw 22 continues to be tightened, the head of the screw engages the overlying hooked end. By this time, the extreme ends of the wire no longer overlap, and the overlying hook is forced into the plane of the underlying hook portion, with the extreme ends in abutting relation, or approximately so, as seen in FIG. 7. The major loop 21 of the wire fastener now tightly surrounds the post, and offers strong frictional resistance opposing and preventing removal of the chair back.

It will be seen that the present invention provides a simple and inexpensive fastener which may be readily installed and used to secure a tubular or solid cylindrical post to a surface which is normal thereto, such as the undersurface :of a cushioned chair back into which the post is embedded.

While the preferred embodiment of this invention has been described in some detail, it will be obvious to one skilled in the art that various modifications may be made without departing from the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Having described my invent-ion, I claim:

In tubular furniture, the combination of a cylindrical metal leg support, a back having a body cavity into which one end of-the leg support is inserted, a single piece of wire fashioned into a hard steel wire fastener having a major loop embracing said leg support at its major circumference and substantially in surface engagement with the undersurface of the back body, said wire fastener having its two ends terminating outside the major loop and fashioned into opposing hook portions which overlap each other and form a small opening therebetween, and a tapered screw inserted through said opening and into said body undersurface to draw said major loop into tight binding engagement which said leg support and to prevent 1 having a wide head with a flat underhead portion in en- 3,1e4,2'57 V a separation of said backa ndvleg support, said serew having 2,363,436 -11 /44 3 287520 a major d-iametengreater than the width of the opening 2 524 562 I 10/50 Dawbom 4;;27 defined by the overlapping ends of said wire, said screw it .28955754 7 /59 Wurzel 1 X FOREIGN PATENTS gagement with the opposing hook portions.

References Cited bythe Examiner 9 4 12/ 33 Germany.

' 228,778 2/25' Great Britain.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 411,403 6/ 34 Great Britain. 499,549 6/93 Hunter et a1. 248--302 10 518,523 3/55 Italy. 795,210' 7705 Evans 2854-252 7 1 1,201,292 10/ 16 Hawthorne 248-3 13 CARL W'. TOMLIN, Primary Examiner.

1,494,234 5/24 Gossett i. 28542 

